This invention relates to portable computers of limited physical size and weight.
Portable computers are known which typically incorporate into a single cabinet of portable size the entire set of functional components of a computer, i.e., a keyboard, a display panel, a disk memory module, interface connectors for communication with external devices, and the electronic circuit components necessary to provide the computing capability, including a power supply. One of the major criteria in the design of portable computers is the physical size: specifically, the size should be small enough so that the computer is truly portable.
While several portable computer designs have been successfully produced, a major disadvantage in general with existing designs lies in the difficulty in assembling, testing and repairing the system. In particular, given the relative complexity in both the mechanical and electrical sense of a fully functioning computer system, an extraordinary number of mechanical and electrical components must be efficiently packaged into a volume of space which is relatively small given the number of components required. Existing designs typically require extensive and time consuming assembly operations in order to carefully assemble the various components together into the housing. Also, existing designs further require that the electrical and mechanical components be assembled together into an at least semi-finished state before the entire computer system can be tested for proper operation. Also, once assembled, with existing designs it is exceedingly difficult to disassemble the electrical and mechanical components in order to repair a malfunctioning computer system.